apple valley

Gary Johnson, Community Relations Developer at Valley Natural Foods in Apple Valley, is a busy man with big goals."We're trying to get the community to be smarter about their environment," he tells me, "we want people to have a positive experience with gardening, to have some success, and to have a non-retail experience with our co-op."

We're looking at a grassy area just off of busy County Road 11, approximately 64 by 40 feet. Gary tells me that there's space for 22 keyhole gardens and 34 field crop areas here, and that many of the garden spaces, which will be ready for planting in mid-late May, have already been claimed. I'm amazed and impressed by what Gary and the Valley Natural team are pulling off in this relatively small area. Gary hands me a colorful brochure and refers me to the Co-op Community Garden Vision printed on it: